Method of vacuumizing containers



Nov. 15, 1932. A. KRONQUEST METHOD OF VACUUMIZING CONTAINERS Filed Au19, 1931 the don 1e seam for the PM Nov. 15, 1932 m ran s'ra'ras PATENTOFFICE 1.. noxobnsr, or roan, assr'ciioa mcon rrnnman yconm, me, or rawroman. r., a coaronarron or nnwvoax men or vacuums conramnas Applicationfled amt 19, 1881. Serial 80. 558,108.

' 1o connection between the cover and-the container body. It is foundthat the great velocity of the air rushin out of the container throughthe small or ces' or spaces left be tween the loosely folded metal partscarries .15 with it the powder from the container into the vacuumchamber and leaving in the infolded parts sufiicient'powdered materialto interfere with the proper operation of the seamin rolls in theforming and finishing of joining of the cover to the container body.

An object of the present invention'is'to' provide a method ofvacuumizing a container with the cover clinched thereto so as to avoid-2 drawing any of the powdered material from the container after thecover has been secured thereto b clinching or crimping of the metalparts so that they are loosely connected.

In the drawing-- '80 Figure 1 is a view partly in plan and partly insection showing more or less diagrammaticall one form of-appar'atusforcarry-.

in out e invention;

i 2 be view of a container with the pow ered material therein andwith-the cover removed as the container is subjected to the action'of avacuum chamber for withdrawthe air from the powdered material;

i 3 is a view showing the-container after clinched to the body of thecontainer, and

a '1 is a view similar to Rig. 3, but show J the usual manner, and thecontainer, without any cover being applied thereto, is passed into avacuum chamber or otherwise conthe air has been withdrawn from the pow--dered material and with the cover loosely.

nected with a vacuum creating'apparatus so that the air in the containerand in the owdered material is withdrawn there rom.

When the container is subjected to a twentynine inch vacuum with thecover removed, the whole mass of the powder appears to flufi' up andthen settle back into the container in a more compact space. The looselypacked powdered material when placed in the container contains entrappedair. When the container passes into the vacuum chamber, this entrappedair expandsand is drawn from the powdered material, causing first, theflutfing up of the material, and 1n case of very finel powderedmaterial, a mist of powder int e space surrounding the contamer. Whenthe container is removed from the vacuum chamber and again subjected toatmospheric pressure, the powder has settled back into the container ina compact conditlon. 'The cover is then applied to the container andclinched thereto loosely, after which the container is placed a secondtime in a vacuum chamber and subjected to a vacuum creating apparatus,and the air drawn from the container will now be free from any powder,and-the infolded parts of the metal through which the air passes will.also be free from entrapped powder. If the product in the container isto be sealed in vacuum, then the cover is double seamed .to thecontainer body while the container is under vacuum. The vacuum in thecontainer may, if desired, be replaced by an inert gas, and the coverthen secured to the container body by double seaming.

It is thought that possiblythe invention will be better understood by abrief reference to the apparatus shown in the drawing. ,The r Icontainers which are indicated at I C are fed on toa disk 1 and conveyedby the disk against a guide rail 2 with-,which is associated a transferdevice 3, and thus the container is placed in one of the pockets 4 of arotating valve 5. The container is fi 1led to the desired extent withthe powderedmaterial, No cover is placed on the container. Associatedwith the valve 5 is a casing 6 having a chamber 7 which is placedcontinually under vacuum by a vacuum creating apparatus con nected in asuitable way with a pipe 8 leading to the chamber 7. I As the valverotates, the

pockets will be brought into communication tainer. Any powder passingofi with the airwithdrawn fromthe container may be collected in asanitary receptacle associated with the vacuum creating a paratus, andthus waste of material is avoided. Furthermore,

in this vacuum chamber 7 there are no operating parts which are likelyto be clogged by the powdered material accumulating thereon. Thecontainer after it is subjected to the vacuum pull in the chamber7, andafter the air has been withdrawn from the powdered material in thecontainer, is passed to the atmosphere and removed from the valve pocketby a rotating transfer device 9. The rotating transfer device places thecontainer on the conve or 10 which takes the container into the c 'chingmechanism indicated ,dia-

45 a pocket 13 of a rotary valve 14 which carries grammatically at 11.In this clinching mechanism, the cover is applied to the container body,and the flange of the cover and the flange on the container body looselyjoined by clinching together. This will hold the cover on the containerbody, but at the same time, it.will permit the air to be withdrawn fromthe container body. When the con.- tainer comes out of the first vacuumchamber,

v the powdered material settles back into the container in a compactform and substantially'free from any entrapped air. After the containerpasses through the clinching mechanism, it is placed by a transferdevice 12 in the container into the chamber 15 The transfor device 16removes the container from the pocket of the valve and places the sameon a.

conveyor 17. As the container passes through the vacuum chamber 15, theair is withdrawn ered is the air in-the powdered material and t e cover,and the operation station. .The first operation station from thecontainer, and during this withdrawing of the air, the powderedmaterial,

does not pass out with the air. Practically the only air inthe containerafter it is covace between the withdrawin of this air does not carrywith it the pow cred material. The container then is taken from theconveyor by a. transfer device 18 and placed in a pocket 19 by a valve20 which carries the container into a chamber 21 which is located adouble seamingmechanism'. double seaming mechanism may includea firstand secon is indicated at 22 and the second at 23. The rotatin transferdevice 24 carries the container st to one station and then the other,and thus it is that the cover is double seamed to the container body andthe container sealed. The containers are again placed in thepocket 19 ofthe valve 20, and a transfer device 25 removes the closed container fromthe pocket of the valve and places the same on the conveyor 26.

Thecontainer C, as shown in the drawing, comprises a cylindrical bodyportion, in

which a bottom end 0 has been secured. The material is indicated at M inthe drawing. In Fi 2, the container isshown with the body t ereofflanged, ready for the cover, but no cover has been place thereon. Thisis the condition of the container as it passes from the vacuum chamber7. In Fig.3, a

cover 0 is shown applied to the container body, and the metal arts ofthe cover and the body are loosely fold at c. In Fig. 4 of the drawing,the cover a is shown as secured to the container body by adouble seam cwhich seals the container;

When it is desired to seal the container with the product'thereof invacuum, then" the chamber 21 is placed under vacuum, and the ed togetheras indicated 1 container passes from the chamber 15 into this chamber 21with the vacuum maintained within the container and the end is doubleseamed to the container body, thus sealing the container.. If it isdesired to close the container with the material in an inert gas, thenthe chamber 21 is charged with an inert gas,

such for example, as carbon dioxide. When the container passes into thischamber, the

inert as will pass in through the loosely connecteg parts of the coverand the container body, thus charging the container with an inert gas.The coverv is then double seamed to the body, and this will sealthecontainer with the inert gas therein.

may be greatly modified, and is merely illustrative of a type ofapparatus that can be used in the.carrying out of the improved method ofvacuumizing a container. While my improved method is particularlyadapted for the vacuumiz'ing and sealing of a con- It will be obviousthat the apparatus shown tainer having a powdered material therein, it Iwill also be useful in the vacuumizing and sealing of containers withother kinds of material; p 7

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desiretosecure by Batters- Patent, is-

1. The process of packaging powdered material in sealed containers undervacuum comprising placin the wdered material a container and su'bjectmgthe container toa iv; uum before the sealing cover is applied e tainer,placing a cover on the container, subjecting the container to a vacuumfor with- 1 to,- releasing the'vacuum on the conresales redrawing theair therefrom and a.

cover to the container whiie maintain under said vacuum. a

2. A method of packaging powdered material in sealed containerscomprising plac the powdered material in the container an subjecting thecontainer to a. vacuum before the sealing cover is applied thereto,releasmg a vacuum on the container, placing the cover thereon and looselsecurin the cover to the container body, su jecting t e container withthe loosely attached cover to a vacu um for withdrawing the airtherefrom, charging the container with an inert gas, and seaming thecover to the container body while charged with the inert gas.

In testimony whereof, I aflix m si ature. ALFRED L. KRO QIEST.

